Summary:
- An interesting theory emerged from the Internet years ago, suggesting that Woody and the rest of the toys were passed to Andy by his father.
- The franchise’s co-creator, Andrew Stanton, debunked this rumor on X, calling it “utter fake news.”
- The rumor hadn’t died down even after Stanton’s statement, as fans suspected Joe Ranft’s credibility regarding the theory.
The Toy Story saga, beloved for its heartwarming tales about Woody, Buzz, and other toys’ adventures in the human world, leaves many details about Andy’s family background tantalizingly vague—particularly regarding his father. Andy is the first owner of Woody and the rest of the toys, before passing it to Bonnie and goes to college.
A popular fan theory has suggested a poignant backstory: Andy’s father, rumored to be the original owner of Woody, Mr. Potato Head, and Slinky Dog, allegedly passed away from complications related to polio, bequeathing his beloved toys to Andy. While this narrative is quite intriguing and somewhat makes sense, it isn’t part of the official Toy Story canon storyline, according to one of the franchise’s most important figures.
Andrew Stanton, who has been instrumental in crafting all four Toy Story films, addressed this rumor head-on. On X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed the theory with a blunt proclamation:
“Complete and utter fake news. Everyone go back to your homes. Nothing to see here, folks. #iwasthere,” (as reported by The Hollywood Reporter). Interestingly, this tweet has since been removed.
Well, if this conversation comes from one of the franchise’s original creators, you better believe it, though a lot of fans will find it disheartened as the info around Andy’s father is still shrouded in mystery.
The origin of this theory stems from a tale told by Mike Mozart, a product reviewer on the JeepersMedia YouTube channel, during an interview with SuperCarlinBrothers. He claimed that Joe Ranft, a Pixar legend, shared this backstory privately.
According to Mozart, Andy’s father, Andy Sr., survived polio in 1959 and secretly saved several toys, including Woody, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, and so on, from being destroyed by hiding in a box under his bed, which he later passed to his son.
As Andy Sr.’s life drew to a close due to post-polio syndrome, on his deathbed, he entrusted a young Andy with a key to retrieve a chest from the attic, containing the toys. By the time Andy returned, his father had passed away.
Though Stanton strongly refutes this tale, discussions persist on platforms like Reddit, where fans speculate about the legitimacy of Mozart’s account. Some suggest that Ranft could have shared this story unofficially, or maybe he didn’t tell Staton about the idea at all. Others believe Ranft may do a little trolling, but didn’t expect the rumor to go viral.
As fans eagerly await Toy Story 5, many hope the new installment might finally shed light on the story of Andy’s father, settling debates and enriching the beloved universe of Toy Story. After all, it’s a bit strange that Andy’s father wasn’t even mentioned once in the entire franchise, and having him in the fifth movie could help Woody and Buzz revisit their former owner again.
